Convincing motivation

Do you want to get a scholarship and go to study in Germany? Then you have to write a convincing cover letter.

To obtain a scholarship to study in Germany, you will have to go through several selection stages. The first is the formal selection of candidates on the basis of the documents submitted. The Commission has decided to allocate financial support for you, it is not enough to have good grades and certificates for knowledge of foreign languages. One key factor is a convincing cover letter (Motivationsschreiben).

The main criterion is to match the knowledge and skills of the candidate of the requirements of the German university – says Gleb Kondrashevsky, representative of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. – The second criterion is a person’s motivation, his interest, the ability to justify their choice. The main thing is to understand that the person did it deliberately.

How to begin

Every cover letter should provide answers to several questions. Why do students choose this program? Whether the candidate meets the requirements of a competitive selection? What are your plans for the future after the end of the program?

The experts advise to adhere to the official style. Post letter can be, for example, with the following wording: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am interested in the program …”. In German, it might look something like this: “Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, die Ankündigung vom Programm … habe ich mit großem Interesse aufgenommen”.

Avoid grammatical mistakes. Candidate is messy even in the preparation of documents – such a conclusion can come to the commission.

How did you choose a particular curriculum? Similar courses certainly exist in other German universities. You must explain why your choice has fallen on this university. You can navigate, for example, an excerpt from the cover letter one of the successful Fellows DAAD, who wrote: “I would like to briefly explain why I want to study in this university.”

Another option: “I was looking for a course with a predominance on practical training. That’s why I paid an attention to the training courses …”.

The plans for the future

The next important question is your idea of ​​a career. It is important to specify exactly where you want to work when you return to your country, and what benefits you will get in Germany and, in particular, the chosen course of study.